


Christmas in 12 Parts

by AthenaScarlet



Category: Chuck (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas, F/M, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 16:24:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5463242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthenaScarlet/pseuds/AthenaScarlet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sarah has to decide what to do now that she's compromised her relationship with Chuck. But it won't be easy saying goodbye to him for Christmas -- and probably forever. Canon divergent starting with Chuck vs. the Crown Vic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas in 12 Parts

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this on LiveJournal in 2007 as part of a Christmas challenge and figured it would be appropriate to finally post it here for Christmas. Hope you all enjoy this!

[one]  
  
After her briefing in Casey's apartment with headquarters, she had ever intention of just going home and forgetting the whole thing had happened. She just wanted to snuggle up under her covers and worry about it all tomorrow.  
  
But as she walked to her car, something was pulling her back. All she could do was think about her job and how Chuck had compromised her position that afternoon. She wanted to believe it wasn't his fault, that it was just an accident, but then she started thinking that maybe it was more than that, that he was jealous and had faked it because he saw her with someone else -- even if it was just her cover.  
  
That's when the anger started boiling up -- she turned on her heel and walked back through the arch into the apartment complex. If Chuck wanted to be angry at her for doing her job, then she would be angry right back at him for not doing his.  
  
The anger is what motivated her to stand on his doorstep and bang as hard as she could. She knew he would probably deny the flash and the fact that his feelings were getting in the way of work. She knew he would probably bring up the kiss again even if all she wanted to do was forget it.  
  
She just didn't expect his question.  
  
"Did you kiss me that night because you thought we were going to die and mine were the most convenient lips around or was it actually about me?"  
  
All she could do was stand there and stare at him knowing full well that it really was about him. For someone whose job required her to pretend to be someone she wasn't time and time again, standing in Chuck's apartment having this conversation with him was too real for her.  
  
She could only stare up at him with his eyes burning into her. She had to leave. She couldn't be here -- alone -- with him anymore. There were things she wished she could say, but the conflict within her wouldn't allow her to let the words out.  
  
She left without answering his question, without saying anything to him. She knew what she had to do.  
  
[two]  
  
Walking into the Buy More that night nearly broke her heart. The place was covered in Christmas decorations and Lester was in the corner taking money from everyone under the guise of being in the festive Hanukkah spirit. Then Sarah's eyes fell on Chuck dancing by the Christmas tree.  
  
"Hi," she said, tentatively coming up behind him.  
  
"Hey!" he replied enthusiastically. "I'm glad you're here."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah, you couldn't get your present unless you were here so...." His voice trailed off as he walked over to the tree and picked up a small alarm clock. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "I know it's not that big heavy duty thing of yours, but I thought it would harder for you to hit a small target."  
  
She tried to laugh to cover up the tears in her eyes, but it didn't seem to be helping.  
  
"You OK?" She nodded in reply. "Because, you know, it's just an alarm clock. You don't have to cry about it. I mean, I can get you something else if you don't like it," he said, trying to lighten the mood.  
  
Sarah tried to swallow the anguish in her throat. "No, it's nice. It's really...um..." She was just going to have to tell him now and get it over with. "Can we go outside and talk?"  
  
Something came over Chuck's face that she couldn't quite put her finger on -- dread, pain, anger, sadness. Then she realized it was a little bit of all of that and it made her feel even worse about what she had to do. Sarah slid her hand into his and walked with him out of the store, the cool air hitting her wet cheeks as she dragged him past the Nerd Herders and to her car farther out in the lot.  
  
"Sarah?" His voice was a quiet whisper, soft and pleading as if he knew what she was about to say wasn't good.  
  
"Chuck, I wanted to tell you this in person and I'm sorry I'm doing it now, but I don't have alot of time."  
  
Chuck let go of her hand, but stayed where he was standing. "What are you talking about? Why don't we have time?"  
  
She took a deep breath. "I'm being reassigned. I'm leaving tomorrow night."  
  
Chuck's shocked look broke her heart as she watched him try to process what she had just told him. "You...I don't...I mean, you don't have to leave," was all his could spit out.  
  
"I do, Chuck."  
  
His brown eyes stared down at her as he started to regain his composure. "No, you don't. Maybe it was a mistake at the CIA or something or maybe, maybe you can tell them you want to stay here and work with Casey."  
  
"You honestly think they would believe that?" she asked sarcastically.  
  
The corners of Chuck's mouth curled up slightly in a smile. "No."  
  
Sarah's face became serious again. "It's just...Chuck, I was the one that asked for the transfer." Chuck stumbled back from her as if she had just punched him in the chest and the air was gone from his lungs. "Chuck?"  
  
"Why?" he asked, his lips barely moving.  
  
She took a step toward to him so she could be closer as she tried to explain herself. "I could say it wasn't about you, but it was. That kiss was about you -- you have to know that. I just...I really do care about you, Chuck, and if my feelings for you ever put you in danger..." She started to get choked up again and couldn't finish the sentence.  
  
Chuck just nodded to her, letting her off the hook from having to explain more. Sarah was pretty sure he understood what she was saying anyway.  
  
Stepping closer to her, he leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. Then she could feel his hot breath on her skin as he said a simple, heartbreaking "OK." He took a step back from her, but continued to stand there, looking at her as if he was trying to memorize every inch of her.  
  
She knew if she didn't leave now, she never would so she quickly got in her car as Chuck continued to stand there in the parking lot. She turned the key in the ignition and put the Porsche in drive. Looking back one last time, Sarah saw him in her rear-view mirror, staring at his tennis shoes without moving. She quickly pulled her eyes away and put her foot on the gas.  
  
[three]  
  
Sarah was putting the last of her clothes in the one suitcase she had when there was a knock at her door. She opened it to find a stern-looking Casey on the other side.  
  
"Packing?" he asked as he walked past her, inviting himself in.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"I heard you were leaving. At least, I think that's what I heard."  
  
She gave him a questioning look. " _Think_  that's what you heard?"  
  
Casey crossed his arms in front of him. "Chuck was babbling at the party tonight about how we both lost women we love. Personally, I think my loss may be greater than his."  
  
Sarah smiled over at Casey. "You may be right. I really thought you and that Crown Vic were going to be together forever."  
  
"Me too," he replied with a quiet but pained voice.  
  
Sarah walked back over to the bed and grabbed the last few things she needed to throw in her suitcase. "So is there anything you came her for?"  
  
"I actually wanted to tell you that I enjoyed working with you. You know, as much as someone like me could enjoy working with a pedestrian CIA agent like yourself."  
  
"Thanks." Surprisingly, she meant it. A compliment from Casey, if that's what you could call it, was rare to say the least.  
  
He sat down on the bench at the end of her bed. "So why are you leaving?"  
  
"I don't want to talk about it," she said, grabbing the top of her suitcase.  
  
"It's because of Chuck, isn't it?"  
  
Her hand hung suspended above the zipper of the case. "I don't want to talk about it," she replied, taking the zipper and forcibly shutting the case.  
  
"Yeah, I figured as much. He does have a way of getting under your skin."  
  
"Speaking from experience, Casey?"  
  
"I don't want to talk about it," he replied sarcastically. "You ready?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Need some help taking things down?"  
  
She looked at the one suitcase and one backpack on the floor. That was all she owned to prove that she was ever in Los Angeles. "I'll be fine."  
  
"Suit yourself," Casey replied before standing and walking towards the door. "I really am going to miss having you around."  
  
"Listen, about Chuck..." She assumed her orders from the CIA and Casey's from the NSA probably weren't the same when it came to Chuck. She had thought this ever since she and Casey had both ended up in L.A. and it worried her to think about what Casey was told to do. "I just want to make sure you remember that we're here to protect him," she said.  
  
She saw something in his face change -- his eyes got a bit soft, his jaw didn't seem as stern. Regardless of what he was told to do, she could tell he wasn't lying when he said Chuck had gotten under his skin, too. "Don't worry, I'll watch out for him."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
He gave her a quick nod and headed out the door, leaving her alone in her apartment one last time.  
  
Sarah did a quick check of all the drawers, the bathroom, and under the bed just to make sure she hadn't left anything behind. Then she grabbed her backpack, suitcase, and the gun off the end table. She needed to get out of town, but had one last stop before she left.  
  
[four]  
  
The average person walking by the Nerd Herder parked on the street would've simply seen it as a shoebox in the back seat. Sarah knew Chuck would see it as something more, which is why she decided she would put it there.  
  
Inside, she had left a government-issued strong box with a numbered key pad that included some things for him and a note explaining the items.  
  
The gun was obvious -- government-issued Glock with extra ammo. She also gave him a set of knives like her own and an ankle brace that was thin enough to hide under the high tops on his Chuck Taylors . The note told him exactly which shooting range to go to for classes and which instructor to ask for. In fact, the instructor she told him to see was a now retired CIA agent who taught Sarah most of her weapons skills when he was still working at Langley.  
  
There was a new watch -- CIA designed with GPS -- to replace the one he drowned when he caught Lou smuggling her stupid salamis into the country. Sarah knew the GPS code for this one so she could still track him from her next assignment.  
  
She threw in the CD case for Arcade Fire's first album, minus the actual CD. She kept that for herself to play during her drive north. In the note, she wrote, "I think I'm ready to take a listen to it. Thanks for the recommendation."  
  
Finally, she added her name tag from the Wienerlicious outfit she had worn those many months watching out for him. Not only did she not need it anymore, but her next name probably wasn't going to be "Sarah" so it was better to get rid of it now than to have someone else find it later and blow her cover. Plus, it was the name Chuck knew her as and she loved hearing it every time he said it.  
  
Her note also included one vital message -- do NOT try to contact her. She wasn't going "off the grid" like Bryce had, but it was safer for both of them if he didn't try to call. It wouldn't matter anyway since a new cell phone number was a standard part of the CIA undercover package for each new alias.  
  
Sarah quickly checked the lock on the strong box one more time and made sure to include in the shoebox that small slip of paper he would need to open it. She hoped Chuck would figure out the sequence of numbers and letters on it was for the Stanford library. After reviewing the floor plan of the library, she found the perfect out of the way, rarely used bookshelf to hide the code for the box. She planned to put it in a small container similar to the one Bryce had used when he was a student there, but in a spot only she and Chuck would ever know about.  
  
Around one o'clock in the morning, she silently jimmied open the lock on the Nerd Herder and put the box inside. Then she dropped off the Porsche at a CIA depot on the outskirts of L.A. and picked up a more conspicuous Toyota Camry to begin her drive north. As soon as the library in Stanford opened, she was there to slip in and hide Chuck's precious key code.  
  
It had been a long drive after that, but Sarah had made it to the CIA safehouse in Oregon by nightfall. She did a sweep for bugs, added some of her typical "security measures" as she called them, and then opened the package with her new identity.  
  
As usual, there were the standard documents like a new birth certificate, driver's license, social security number, and a cell number and email address suitable for her new alias.  
  
In order to activate her new cell phone account, she had to erase the memory card in the phone with her old account. Before she could, curiosity got the best of her. She knew she told Chuck not to try and contact her, but she also hoped he didn't listen to directions as usual.  
  
Sure enough, there was a voice mail and it was from Chuck.  
  
"Hey, I know you told me in the note not to contact you and I promise that I won't from now on, but I wanted to tell you that I got your box and I'm at Stanford now and I just..."  
  
She heard him pause and take a deep breath. "Wherever you are now, wherever that is, I hope you're safe. I'm never going to forget you, Sarah. I promise."

[five]  
  
"Hey Chuckles! While you're up, can you see if there's more of your sister's guacamole in the fridge?"  
  
Chuck used to hate when Casey called him that, but didn't mind so much now. After all, they were almost buddies...well, as close to buddies as you could get with Casey.  
  
"You're in luck," Chuck replied, putting the bowl of dip on top of the blueprints spread out over his kitchen table.  
  
"So Casey and I were thinking we need to watch this back entrance tomorrow night since..."  
  
Despite the fact that Agent Marsh was probably explaining something important, Chuck had zoned out.  
  
Marsh. Shortly after Sarah left, he had shown up to become Chuck's new CIA handler -- the ying to Casey's yang as it were. Despite the circumstances, the new guy wasn't too bad. He had Sarah's warm personality -- minus the sexual tension towards Chuck -- and a kick-ass masculinity that appealed to Casey. Plus, he had been able to bridge the gap between Chuck and Casey, which is probably why the team was working so well.  
  
That being said, as Chuck tried to listen to Marsh and Casey hatching the plan for their next assignment, he couldn't help but remember Sarah. It was a year since she had left and, as he had promised, he never forgot her. Sure, he went on a few dates with that woman who brought her laptop in to be fixed, and he had flirted for awhile with the Dell computer sales lady that supplied the Buy More, but neither of them was Sarah.  
  
He wondered where Sarah was tonight, what she was doing. He hoped it wasn't too dangerous.  
  
"Chuckles?"  
  
Chuck snapped out of his thoughts to see Casey and Marsh staring at him. "What? I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said."  
  
Casey sneered at him and asked him sarcastically, "What were you thinking about there, scout?"  
  
"Nothing, if you must know."  
  
"That's alright. I think we're done for the night anyway," Marsh said.  
  
"About tomorrow?" Chuck asked. "What do I need to bring with me?"  
  
"That computer in your head will be plenty fine," Casey said.  
  
"Although some basic weaponry might be good to have."  
  
Chuck thought about the Glock hidden under his bed in the metal box Sarah had gifted to him. It had deadly power in a fight, which is why he still preferred the knives he had strapped around his ankle. He didn't mind the spy stuff so much anymore, but the killing stuff was totally Casey's territory. He didn't want to get involved in that.  
  
They folded up the blueprints and Chuck hid them under the floorboards in the living room. After Ellie and Awesome moved out to get a place of their own, the CIA and NSA moved in to outfit the apartment with state-of-the-art spy stuff -- and a few traditional things like cubby holes in floors.  
  
Marsh grabbed his hoodie from the couch to threw over his Buy More shirt. "See ya at work tomorrow, guys!"  
  
"Will do," Chuck replied as he took the bowl of guacamole from the table and put it back in the fridge.  
  
"So where's your head, Chuckles?" he heard Casey say from behind him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You seemed distracted tonight. We can't have you distracted like that at the stakeout tomorrow."  
  
The last thing he wanted to do was get into it with Casey. "I don't want to talk about it."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Why? Is that hard for you to believe?"  
  
Casey gave him a smile that told Chuck he knew what was going on. "I just remember Sarah saying the same thing to me before she left."  
  
"Interesting, I guess, but I was thinking about something else," he replied defiantly.  
  
"Sure you were."  
  
Chuck pushed his way past Casey and grabbed their glasses off the kitchen table.  
  
"You know, you're not the only one who misses having her around."  
  
Chuck nearly dropped the glassware in his hands from shock. "Excuse me?"  
  
"I know you might find this hard to believe, but I think she was a great agent. As much as I like Marsh, Sarah did a much better job watching out for you -- both professionally and personally if you know what I mean."  
  
Chuck looked away and tried to busy himself with the dishes. "Yeah, she did such a great job that she left me with you," he answered sarcastically.  
  
"You're still alive, aren't you?"  
  
"Relatively."  
  
"Plus, she left you a box of tools to protect yourself and a hiding place only you could appreciate."  
  
Chuck stood there in silence, thinking about the warm metal strapped around his ankle. He had used those knives twice before in sticky situations and without them, he may be dead now. And he thought about the book on the shelf in his room he had stolen that day from the library, knowing that it was a book that she had stood next to hours before he found it.  
  
"I just..." His voice trailed off a bit as he decided whether to even have this conversation with Casey.  
  
"Listen, if you want, I can get into the CIA's system and try to look up her file," Casey replied as sincerely as possible.  
  
Chuck shook his head. "No, it's alright. She told me not to contact her and she was right to tell me that. Let's drop it."  
  
Casey gave him a stern nod. "I'm going to head out then. Remember, work tomorrow and then stakeout at 10 p.m."  
  
"I'll be there."  
  
[six]  
  
The stakeout had actually been a success. Marsh had figured out exactly which entrance their suspect was going to use when he left his apartment, Chuck had flashed on the guy as a German terrorist, and the Feds swept in to get him. For most people, that would've been an exciting night. For Chuck, it was just part of the job.  
  
He parked his Mustang on the street -- the government was actually paying him for his work and he was now an assistant manager at the Buy More so no more Herder. He grabbed the mail from his box and fumbled with his keys as usual before unlocking the door to his apartment.  
  
There were times when Chuck was glad he lived on his own now, but whenever he walked into his quiet apartment and had to turn the lights on himself, he kind of missed having Ellie around. He dropped his backpack near the end table by the door and started sorting through the mail. Bills -- annoying. New Sports Illustrated about the need to reform theBCS system -- he chuckled, thinking about USC's loss again this year to Stanford.  
  
And then he saw it. It was a simple postcard with snow-covered mountains and the word "Switzerland" on the front. He didn't know anyone who would send him anything from there so he turned it over, thinking maybe it had been sent to the wrong address. Nope, it was his name on the back. Then he checked to see who had sent it. There was no name, no message -- just some letters and numbers. He stared at it for a bit, not flashing on anything that would give him a hint as to what it was for, but he felt like he recognized it from somewhere...  
  
He ran to his bedroom, nearly tripping over his feet that couldn't get him there fast enough. His momentum carried him past the shelf on his wall and he clawed at the air to desperately get back to it. The book instinctively found the fingers of his hand as if it was willing itself into his palm.  
  
The numbers on his postcard matched the sequence on the spine of the book he had taken from Stanford a year earlier.  
  
He walked back into the living room in a daze.  _It wasn't her, it can't be her_ , he tried telling himself. The Swiss postcard was on the table in the exact spot he had dropped it before sprinting through his apartment. He reached for it with trembling hands and looked at the message again.  
  
His curiosity had clouded his mind before, but now he could clearly see that not only did he recognize the code on the back, he also recognized the handwriting. It belonged to Sarah.  
  
Chuck went through his mental checklist before walking out the door. Keys in his hand, wallet and phone in his pocket, knives under the high tops of his Chuck Taylors. He switched out the light and headed for his car.  
  
"Hey Chuckles!" Casey and Marsh were standing in the doorway to Casey's apartment. "In order to debrief, you need to walk  _into_  the apartment, not past it."  
  
"I have to go somewhere," Chuck called out over his shoulder.  
  
"More important than work?" Casey shot back.  
  
Chuck turned to look at him. "Yeah."  
  
"Really? And where might this place be?"  
  
"Stanford."  
  
Casey gave Chuck a quick nod of approval. Chuck gave him one back and ran to the car.  
  
He heard Marsh ask Casey what was at Stanford, but Chuck got too far to hear Casey's reply.  
  
[seven]  
  
It only took him six hours to get to Stanford, which got him there before the library even opened so he parked his car on a side street and slept. The drive has drained him of all energy and as soon as he put his seat back, he was asleep.  
  
That being said, when the alarm on his cell phone went off, he was wide awake and ready to go. He threw on a baseball cap and grabbed a piece of gum, then headed for the library.  
  
Not surprisingly, the place was deserted at such an early hour. Some things never change and sleeping in as a college student was one of those things. Chuck was thankful for that because it pretty much ensured that no one would see him in the stacks.  
  
He had trouble finding the spot on the third floor -- just as he had the last time he was there -- and it was only made worse by his instinct to find it without thinking about where he was going. Finally, he noticed he was getting closer to the number he needed.  
  
Then he recognized the spot. He had spent hours sitting there after finding it, looking through the box Sarah had given him, running his fingers over the letters on herWienerlicious name tag and reading her note over and over again. He didn't realize until later that it probably hadn't been a good idea to sit in the stacks with a loaded gun or call Sarah on her cell phone to leave a voice mail. And despite the training he had since then, despite the fact that he knew he needed to pay attention to his surroundings, all he could think about was that little box with magnets on it that she had stuck under that shelf for no one else to find but him.  
  
Chuck knelt down on the cold floor and started to run his hand under the shelf. It immediately hit something.  
  
He grabbed the little metal box and pulled it from its hiding place. It was bigger than the one she had left for him last time, but still the same color -- it matched the shelves. He checked both ends of the row to make sure no one was watching him, then opened the box.  
  
Inside were more postcards -- 23 to be exact when he finally counted them all. They were from all over the world -- Tokyo, St. Petersburg, Chicago, Rio, Venice. Most of them had nothing on the back, but a few had some scribbles here and there. One had the name of a hotel in Shanghai, one had something that looked like a European phone number, one had a whole message written on the back.  
  
"Hi family! I'm in Rome and having a great time. Stayed at a hostel with some other students who are also backpacking through the Continent. Having a great time, but I miss you!"  
  
It had been addressed to some place in Sydney. Chuck stared at the scribbles, imaging Sarah writing the postcard in some piazza as a way to solidify her cover with some college kids she was using as part of her mission.  
  
There was even one from Los Angeles, but Chuck couldn't figure out how recently it had been bought. He flipped it over. "I never forgot you. I promise." He smiled, remembering the voice mail he had left for her. She got it after all.  
  
He pulled himself up off the floor and put the box back in its hiding place in case Sarah decided to ever show up there again. The postcards were tucked into his jacket -- he figured it would be better to examine them somewhere even more private than this random stack.  
  
As he walked back to his car, he looked up at the buildings he used to go to class in, the places on campus he would walk by without giving them a second thought when he was in school here. He remembered Bryce and the good -- and then really bad -- relationship they had together. Without Bryce, he wouldn't have the Intersect in his head. Without the Intersect, he would have never known Sarah. He wondered where Bryce was right now and what kind of success he had made in bringing down Fulcrum. After taking out a minor Fulcrum operative a few months ago, Chuck found a note in the guy's apartment written in Klingon. Bryce was still somewhere off the grid and making progress.  
  
Sarah, however, was a different story. He hadn't seen a trace of her since she left -- well, until the postcards -- but knowing she was out there somewhere was almost enough for him to be happy. Really, though, it didn't matter where she was in the world. He just wanted to be with her again.  
  
[eight]  
  
Chuck had spent an hour looking over the postcards while sitting in a rest area somewhere between Stanford and L.A. but he was still clueless as to what Sarah was trying to tell him.  
  
Unfortunately, he had to go back to his real job at the Buy More, which quickly made him forget the warm, happy thoughts brought on by Sarah's postcards. The place was packed with last-minute shoppers and he hoped he could just hide behind the Nerd Herd counter until they left. He was almost certain he would see most of these customers after the holidays when they would come in with their new gifts in hand and no idea how to work them.  
  
As he took over his normal spot behind the counter, he heard bells behind him and turned around to see Morgan in an elf costume. "Um...buddy? What's that about?"  
  
"Don't ask," Morgan replied, a sour look on his face that didn't match the joyous costume.  
  
"OK."  
  
Morgan offered up his explanation anyway. "Fine. Here's what happened: I lost a bet with Lester. We played Mystery Crisper and I couldn't identify week-old tuna casserole. At least, we think it was a week old. But really, the question should be who the hell eats tuna casserole anymore?"  
  
Chuck just shrugged his shoulders and sat down in his usual seat.  
  
"Where are your digital cameras?" a customer asked.  
  
Morgan wordlessly pointed in the right direction. "By the way, where were you this morning?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I went to your place to get some of your sister's leftover guacamole for lunch today, but you weren't home."  
  
It used to bother him to lie to Morgan, but he had gotten used to making up little white lies to cover his spy tracks. Chuck told himself he was protecting Morgan from trouble. "Went for a run," he replied calming.  
  
Morgan cocked his head to the side, the bells on his hat ringing a bit. "You've been running alot lately. You OK?"  
  
Chuck knew he wasn't even if the whole running thing was a cover, but he didn't want to talk about it. "I'm fine."  
  
"Because I know you don't think I remember, but I know Sarah left this time last year under 'mysterious circumstances' and all." Chuck had never explained to Morgan -- the truth or otherwise -- why Sarah left. He just told everyone she was gone.  
  
"You know, I'm doing OK, buddy, but thanks for asking."  
  
"Well, you come find me if you want to talk," Morgan replied. "In the meantime, I have some video games to sell." With that, he turned around and walked away, the bells on his shoes chiming with each step.  
  
"Anything interesting?" Casey asked as he came over to finish some paperwork for a TV warranty.  
  
Chuck slouched down in his seat. "Just some postcards."  
  
"Domestic or international?"  
  
"Both."  
  
"Interesting..."  
  
Chuck turned to face Casey, who seemed to be deep in thought. " _Interesting_? What the hell does that mean?"  
  
Casey put his paperwork in the box behind the Nerd Herd counter. "Did you have one from California in there?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Los Angeles or somewhere else in the state?"  
  
"L.A. Why?"  
  
Just then, Chuck heard loud chiming bells as he elfin friend ran up to him. "Chuck! Chuck! I just saw a woman here that I swear looked like Sarah!"  
  
Chuck's head snapped around as he scanned the Buy More crowd, hoping to see Sarah's blond hair standing out from the rest of the crowd.  
  
"Dude, I tried to catch her but she was out the door before I could stop her."  
  
Chuck jumped over the counter, running into customer after customer until he got out the front entrance. Scanning the parking lot, he could see people and cars and theWienerlicious across the lot, but there was no sign of her.  
  
Dejected, he walked back to the store. Casey was waiting for him at the entrance. ""Did you see her?"  
  
"No."  
  
"She's around," Casey told him matter-of-factly.  
  
Chuck just shook his head and stared at his shoes. "It wasn't her," he said, trying to believe his own words.  
  
"You never know, Chuckles," Casey said, slapping him on the back. "Maybe Santa put you on his 'Nice' list this year."

[nine]  
  
She had thought about not coming back, had thought leaving him those postcards was a mistake.  
  
But then she walked into the Buy More, hoping the large crowd would conceal her as she checked in on Chuck. She read his lips as he talked to Casey, smiling as she saw the word "postcards" formed by them. That was all she needed to know, which is why she left in a hurry after that.  
  
Sarah ended up down at the beach, thinking about how she would explain all this to him and trying to figure out how he would react. The only thing she really had going for her was that he looked happy as he talked to Casey. That had to be worth something, right?  
  
The waves continued to lap at the sand and she remembered sitting in the same place more than a year ago with her new assignment -- a guy with a computer in his head that she had to protect. As much as she knew he had probably changed since she left, she was hoping he had stayed the sweet, nice guy she first met at the Buy More.  
  
_Only one way to find out_ , she thought as she got back in her car and drove to his apartment.  
  
The lock on his front door wasn't hard to crack, but she decided not to turn the lights on for fear that it may alarm him or Ellie if they saw them on. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could tell that things had changed a bit -- Ellie's books weren't on the shelf in the living room and there was a pile of dishes in the kitchen sink. Sarah figured Chuck was living here on his own now and caught herself smiling at the thought.  
  
Then the lights immediately came on and she snapped around, gun in hand, to see Casey staring back at her from the front door.  
  
"Why can't we be friends?" he said sarcastically, hands in the air.  
  
She lowered her gun and took a breath. "Casey, you scared me."  
  
"And you were a bit too obvious about showing up here. Although I have to say, I expected you a few hours ago."  
  
"How did you know I was going to show up?"  
  
Casey walked in and shut the door behind him. "Well, the first tip off was the postcards. I mean, really? That's the oldest CIA trick in the book."  
  
Sarah shrugged. "Did Chuck figure it out?"  
  
"No," Casey sneered. "But I did. When were you in L.A.?"  
  
Sarah walked around and sat down on the couch, motioning for Casey to join her. "Yesterday. I bought it, dropped it off, and came back. I'm assuming you told Chuck."  
  
"Didn't feel like it. The guy needs some surprises in his personal life if you know what I mean."  
  
Sarah just nodded, hoping that Casey couldn't tell that she was happy about his hint at Chuck's lack of a love life. "Um...so how did you know it was me here?"  
  
Casey just rolled his eyes. "Ellie and Awesome moved out..."  
  
"I got that impression."  
  
"...so CIA came in and outfitted the place. Sensor in the door so we know when someone opens it -- my first tip-off that you had arrived -- and then surveillance equipment throughout the place. Bugs, cameras, you name it. We even added one in some plastic mistletoe we hung in the kitchen doorway over there."  
  
Sarah turned to see the mistletoe hanging down. "Where's the camera?" she asked, walking over to examine it.  
  
"Fiber optic. In one of the white berry things."  
  
She looked closer and could barely see the little black speck, but it was there.  
  
"Surprisingly, it has clear night vision so I knew it was you before I even left my apartment."  
  
"Not too bad, Casey," she said, turning back to her former partner. "So what can you tell me about Chuck's case now?"  
  
Casey leaned forward in the chair. "First, the CIA sent Marsh to replace you. Pretty good guy if you ask me."  
  
Sarah smiled. "Yeah, I was in class with him at the academy. Glad they sent him. So it's worked out?"  
  
"Well, so far Chuck hasn't fallen for him so we haven't had to worry about a Sarah problem." Sarah just nodded, knowing exactly what he was hinting at. "Also, I had a kill order on him, but I found a way out of it."  
  
That was the biggest thing Sarah was concerned about when she left and during the past year, she had hoped that Casey's heart had won out. "So how did you do it?"  
  
"Long story, sister."  
  
"I'm sure we have some time before Chuck comes home," Sarah said, smiling at her former nemesis.  
  
Before Casey could answer, his phone rang. "Speak of the devil."  
  
[ten]  
  
Mustang on the street, mail out of the box, walking up to his apartment. It was the same thing Chuck had done yesterday, but it seemed so different now.  
  
He stood in the courtyard of his apartment by the fountain, thinking about the words on the back of a postcard he found this morning. "I never forgot you. I promise." Of course, those words were replaced by Casey telling him Santa was going to come down his chimney with a beautiful blond CIA agent in tow.  _His 'Nice' list? What the hell did that mean?_  
  
Chuck pulled the postcards out of his jacket pocket and looked over them again. They just seemed so confusing -- confusing places, confusing messages, confusing thoughts. He had no idea where to begin with any of them so he slid them back in his pocket and walked to his door. At the very least, he was starving and decided he could eat at the kitchen table with the cards laid out in front of him to help him sort all this possible questions out that way.  
  
But as he got to the door, he noticed the lights inside his apartment were on. He quietly slid his phone out of his back pocket and dialed Casey.  
  
"Hello, Chuck. I was just talking about you."  
  
"That's great," Chuck whispered hurriedly into the phone, "but I have a problem."  
  
"The lights are on in your apartment."  
  
Chuck pulled the phone away and looked at it quizzically before putting it back up to his ear and saying in a normal tone, "How did you know that?"  
  
The door to his apartment opened and he found Casey staring at him from the doorway. "I turned them on," Casey said before hanging up his cell phone.  
  
"Any particular reason you felt the need to hang out at my place?" Chuck responded, putting his own phone away.  
  
Casey shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted to see if you had any leftover guacamole."  
  
"Oh," Chuck said, walking up to his door.  
  
"Plus, you had an intruder," Casey replied calmly.  
  
"WHAT?" Chuck's hand was at the ready to go for the knife in his ankle holster as his eyes quickly checked the apartment over Casey's shoulder.  
  
And that's when he saw her.  
  
Her hair was longer than the last time he had seen her, her clothes a little different, but it was still Sarah.  
  
"I gotta go," Casey said from behind Chuck's shoulder.  
  
"It was good seeing you again, Casey," Sarah said.  
  
"You too," he replied gruffly before closing the door.  
  
Chuck couldn't move from where he was standing, still too in shock to even process that she was there and standing in front of him.  
  
"Hi," she said awkwardly from across the room.  
  
It was a simple "hi" but he couldn't think of how to respond to that since the words weren't forming in his head for him to speak. All he wanted to do was touch her.  
  
It took Chuck only four steps to get across the room and then her warm, soft lips easily melted against his as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She moaned slightly into his mouth and pulled herself closer to him, her arms around his neck to put just a little more pressure on his mouth. It was different now compared to the last time they had kissed. This time, there wasn't a white hot urgency, but there was definitely just as much passion.  
  
And just like last time, it was getting to be a bit much for Chuck. He seemed to be forgetting how to breathe. Chuck pulled away slowly and looked down at Sarah, her eyes staring at him, framed by the blond hair he missed so much.  
  
"I never forgot about you, Sarah."  
  
"I know. Me neither."  
  
[eleven]  
  
Despite being in California again, it was still a bit chilly outside so she wrapped her sweater tight around herself as she walked through the archway to Chuck's apartment complex. Her first stop, however, was to see Casey.  
  
"Hello," he said in a smooth but mocking tone as he opened the door.  
  
"Hey. I was in the neighborhood and just wanted to drop something off." She held out the green bag in her hand and gave it to Casey.  
  
"I didn't get you anything."  
  
She smiled. "No need. It was just something I saw in Austria and I thought you would like it."  
  
Casey's eyebrows went up in surprise. "From Austria? I'll have to save that for later." He gently put the bag down inside his house and grabbed his keys. "So you headed to Chuck's place?"  
  
"Yeah. You?"  
  
"Wouldn't miss it."  
  
Sarah stopped and looked over at him. "Wouldn't miss it? We're decorating gingerbread houses."  
  
He looked back at her and smiled. "Chuck's sister is bringing dinner over and I'm hungry."  
  
"Right. So you and Chuck are friends now?"  
  
"Sort of."  
  
Sarah nodded her head. "I guess alot has changed since I left."  
  
"Some things," Casey replied gruffly, "but he still has the hots for you." Sarah could feel her cheeks getting warm and she worried Casey could see her blushing. "Don't worry. I turned off the surveillance after he kissed you."  
  
"Thanks," she replied in a quiet whisper.  
  
[twelve]  
  
"I still can't believe you're here on your own," Ellie said as Chuck laid out the candy on the table.  
  
"Well, it's lonely sometimes, but I like it."  
  
He turned to see Ellie giving him a concerned look. "Listen, Chuck, I know it's been a year since Sarah left, and you were hung up for a long time on Jill, but you don't have to be lonely forever."  
  
He smiled at her knowingly. "Well, things may be looking up for me."  
  
They turned to the sound of the door opening and Chuck saw Casey and Sarah walk in.  
  
"Sarah?"  
  
"Hi Ellie," she replied sheepishly.  
  
Ellie went over and wrapped her arms around her old friend. "I can't believe it's you. It's so great to see you."  
  
"You too," she replied.  
  
"What's for dinner?" Casey asked.  
  
Ellie had to shake to head to clear out the surprise she still had. "Um...oh...pot roast with potatoes? Is that OK?"  
  
"It's my favorite kind," he replied, walking into the kitchen.  
  
"We have to talk later," Ellie said with a huge grin on her face before following Casey to the food.  
  
Chuck bent down and gave Sarah a small kiss. There were so many things he wanted to say, so many questions he wanted to ask, but before he could, the door opened and Morgan came walking in with Marsh and Awesome in tow.  
  
"Hello everyone! We come bearing wine in a box and..." Morgan stopped mid-sentence and stared at the blond in the living room. Marsh craned his neck from the doorway and gave Sarah a quick smile of recognition.  
  
"Are you KIDDING me? It's not really you, is it?"  
  
"It's me, Morgan," Sarah replied.  
  
"It is you!" he said, enveloping her in a big hug. "Oh, I thought I would never see your beautiful face again. It's a Christmas miracle! Ellie, did you see Sarah was here?"  
  
Ellie looked up from the kitchen. "Yeah. She's back!"  
  
"Who's back?" asked Awesome from the doorway. The he saw Sarah. "No way! It's awesome to see you here." He walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You're making a gingerbread house, right?"  
  
"I definitely am."  
  
"Awesome," he said, walking into the kitchen with extra grocery bags from his car.  
  
"Wow." Morgan stared for a few more seconds before remembering who was standing next to him. "Oh, Sarah, this is Marsh. He works with us at the Buy More."  
  
"Nice to meet you," Marsh said, pretending that he never knew her.  
  
"You too," she said, giving Marsh a quick nod that only Chuck noticed. "Chuck, can I put my sweater somewhere? It's kind of warm for inside."  
  
Whether she meant him to or not, Chuck decided to take advantage of the situation. "Yeah, we can put it in my room."  
  
He led her down the hallway, ignoring the curious stares from everyone in the apartment. As she hung the sweater on the back of his chair, he quietly closed the door behind him. "Can we talk for a second? Before we go back out and they start asking you 20 questions?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"I just...I don't want to get their hopes up if you won't be sticking around."  
  
"They?"  
  
"OK, me," he admitted. "I mean, last night was...well, it was amazing, but we really didn't do alot of talking."  
  
She gave him a devilish smile. "No we didn't."  
  
"And I don't want to keep hoping that you won't leave again if you're not going to stay."  
  
She walked up and put her hands on his chest. He could feel the warmth of her skin through his shirt and he remembered the way she felt in his arms that morning.  
  
"Chuck, I went all over the world last year."  
  
"I know," he said quietly. "I saw the postcards. I just want to know where you're going now."  
  
She stood up on her tip toes and he could feel her breath on his ear. "Nowhere."  
  
He reached around and pulled her close and her arms tightened around his neck. When they first met, there were alot of things she lied about as part of her job, but standing there together, Chuck knew that when she said she wasn't leaving, it was nothing but the truth.


End file.
